The lady with the beehive hair is Josie, my mom. She is the oldest of 5 children and to many she is Ate Jo. Many of the dishes and elements of our menu are either inspired or authentically her recipe.

What is Filipino food? 

To answer that question, there is one important fact about Filipinos everyone must understand. Filipinos LOVE food. It is our love language. I can’t speak for all Filipinos but I have a feeling in my gut that 95% of Filipinos will agree with me…or that feeling may be hunger. Either way, I think I’ve proved my point.

Philippines is a group of more than 7000 islands (archipelago)  sitting between the South China sea and the Pacific Ocean. Filipino food is difficult to describe because the food is a mix of traditional dishes of the various tribes of the archipelago and food from those who shaped its history. But Filipinos have made it their own

For example, Lumpia, a common dish in the Philippines, is an egg roll influenced by Philippines trading relationship with China. Arroz Caldo, is our version of congee, but supercharged with garlic and ginger. Adobo, on the other hand, is a Spanish dish but has become the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. Depending on the region of Philippines the Adobo is slightly different. The Americans brought with them canned goods like Spam and Corned Beef, Filipino of Spam dishes include: Spamsilog (Spam, Rice, and Egg) a dish not so different from Hawaii,  Spam Tocino (marinated and caramelized), and Spam fries. Yup, Spam fries. 

But don’t get me wrong, Philippines traditional dishes like Kare Kare, a peanut sauce curry, stands on its own. And you would be hard press to avoid Ube, a sweet purple yam, an important ingredient in many Filipino food. But why would you want to avoid it?! It is delicious!